The Roomate
by one-million-branches
Summary: Looking for a new start, Elena arrives back in Mystic Falls, ready to put her past behind her. Studying at Mystic Falls University however, is harder than she expected. Due to a mix up in the administrations, Elena ends up sharing a room with none other than Damon Salvatore, bad boy extraordinaire. How will things work out from there? Will she be able to resist him?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1- A New Start**

"Yes, Aunt Jenna I have all my stuff," Elena droned for the millionth time to Jenna as she lugged her bags off the cab.

"I'm just worried; it's the first time you've been away from Florida for more than a month. And what if you miss my cook- "

"You don't cook Aunt Jenna,"

"Elena, it's the first time you've been back there since the accident. Are you sure you're okay?" Jenna's voice suddenly took on a serious tone.

_I'll be fine if you didn't mention it, _Elena thought. Guilt immediately set in. Jenna was just worried for her. Why was she being so difficult and bratty? She sighed.

"I'm fine, Aunt Jenna. Really. Now stop fussing over me and go get ready for your date with Ric." She smiled when she said that. She's going off to college, Jeremy's finally out of trouble, and now Jenna can finally have some 'me time' and enjoy her life. She could almost hear her aunt smile over the phone.

"Alright. Love you Elena, and don't forget to call back at least once a week!"

Elena slipped her phone into her jeans pocket as she looked up at the building in front of her. Mystic Falls University was built upon an old church burial ground, sparking many of the school's creepy stories of the supernatural. Nonetheless it was an amazing architecture. The whole school compound was separated into five different buildings, three main study buildings and two as dorms for the student body. Each building was slightly different in structure and style, but overall they maintained the ancient gothic vibe that the town seemed to come with.

It had been quite a while since Elena left Mystic Falls, but she could barely spot any difference in the town. It was as if she hadn't left at all. Snapping herself out of memory lane, she carried her luggage up the crumbling steps and entered the main hall.

"Freshmen, please gather here for registrations!" a loud, high pitched voice echoed down the hallway. The source of the voice came from a short, soured face attendant who briefly reminded Elena of a bulldog.

"Please get ready your identifications before proceeding to the office! Get your room cards and please head to your rooms immediately. Lights out is at 11!"

"There's a curfew time? What are we, in high school?" a tall blonde behind Elena blurted out. The girl had straight, buttery blonde hair that fell to her shoulders and striking almond shaped blue-green eyes. Elena turned around and gave her an agreeing smile.

"Now, Miss..." the attendant paused briefly, looking at the stack of papers in her hand, "Miss Caroline Forbes, here in MFU we will have students understand that any _misconduct _or_ misbehavior _is strictly not tolerated. And if you look under the school handbook it clearly states under rule 5, paragraph 16 that students staying in the schools dormitories are to followed dormitories rules, set by myself of course."

"Since you know apparently know all about _misconduct and misbehavior_," Caroline muttered under her breath, shooting Elena a playful smile. Elena smiled back and stuck out her hand to Caroline.

"I'm Elena," _this is how people make friends right_, Elena thought.

"Nice to meet you Elena, I'm Caroline." She flashed Elena a brilliant smile. "I don't think I've seen you around before, your not local I take it?"

Elena cringed inwardly. She had hoped no one would bring up where she came from so she didn't have to explain her past. In a small town like this, news traveled fast. And if Caroline was local then she would definitely know what happened and that was the last thing Elena wants.

"I was actually, but I moved when I was eight. There was an… accident." Elena shrugged, trying to look as casual as she could.

"I moved here four years ago actually, small town right?"

Elena tried to mask her relief. _It's okay, she doesn't know, your fine. _She smiled politely and nodded as she passed her papers to the attendant.

"Ms… Gulbert is that correct?" her lips puckered into a thin line unattractively.

"It's Gilbert actually. Elena Rose Gilbert."

"Well, Miss Gilbert," the attendant said, placing special emphasis on her last name, "I don't seem to have your papers here registered here under the students who applied for dorms so if you would just step aside please."

Elena swallowed uncomfortably. She was extremely tired from her flight and wanted nothing more than to lie down on a bed and go to sleep. Apparently this day has more in store for her than she thinks. Elena shot a helpless glance to Caroline as she walked towards Elena with her room keys in hand.

"Trouble in paradise?" Caroline joked, plopping down next to Elena on the worn leather seats in the office.

"Not quite," Elena smiled, she like this Caroline girl, who would be a much needed ray of sunshine in her life. "Something wrong with the papers it seems."

"Well, after the _amazing _administration has sorted out your papers, you wanna go through orientation together tomorrow or something? I'm assuming here that you haven't made any friends besides me yet." Caroline said, shooting a pointed stare at the attendant while saying it.

"I would love that," Elena replied. Yup, she decided, she _definitely_ likes this Caroline.

"Miss Gilbert… Miss Gilbert!" the attendant's sharp voice woke Elena up. Her cheeks flushed red when she realised she fell asleep.

"Sorry to keep you waiting but we have sorted out your paperwork now. You will be staying on level 8, room 81 in building 1. Here's your key and student handbook. Now hurry on it's already past lights out!" the attendant semi-growled at Elena as she passed Elena her things and pushed her out of the office.

_Someone forgot to take her happy pills today_, Elena thought. She quickly made her way to her dorm to settle down. Level 8 was the top floor of building 1 and was themed after a Mediterranean room plan. All the rooms were supposed to be designed after the cool colors and style of the Mediterranean Sea. How the school afford such lavish designs were beyond Elena, but damn was she thankful for it.

Her dorm was painted a soft turquoise, not too flashy and disquieting, but just bright enough to give the room a young vibe. The room had simple decorations, just a few empty photo frames on the wall and two white built-in bookcases on the left of the room. Two metal framed beds separated by a bedside table stood on the center of the room, their bedspreads a calming silver. The front of the room had simply two desks and a small television in between them. To her delight, the dorm came with a small bathroom, with nothing more than a toilet and bathtub. Elena laid on her bed after unpacking and as exhaustion took over, she briefly wondered where and who her roommate was, before drifting off to a deep sleep.

**A/N: Please review to let me know if you guys liked the story, thank you! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Roommates**

If Elena hadn't been so dead tired, she would have woken up at 3 in the morning and promptly screamed. Fortunately for Damon Salvatore though, she was exhausted and didn't even flinched when Damon came crashing –literally- into the room and onto the empty bed in the wee hours. After a hard night of partying, wasted was not even a term applicable to Damon anymore. He didn't know how much alcohol he consumed, or really cared about it frankly. He could barely even see his own feet in the room's darkness. Whatever reminisce of clarity and sensibleness in him had been already used up in charming the cleaning lady to open the dorm building doors for him. He just wanted a good night sleep so he could repeat this cycle again tomorrow, and fortunately for both of them, Damon and Elena were both very deep sleepers.

Elena woke up with a start. She didn't know if she had dreamt the noise she heard last night, but simply dismissed it as her imagination and carried on with her comatose. Lifting herself off the bed, she walked blindly in the darkness of the room and opened the blinds.

"Ugh, no… Let me sleep." A male voice broke the silence, cutting through the room.

Elena turned immediately. Her nerves were on high gear and she would have screamed if not for how angry she was, her anger overriding her fear. Who was this man to barge into her dorm at night and what the hell was he doing? She grabbed the closest weapon to her, a thick dictionary, and walked quietly towards the other bed. The man had his back turned to her, but she could see his shock of ebony black hair. Raising the book, she hit it down as hard as she could on the man's head.

"WHAT THE FU-" he screamed immediately, sitting up and clutching onto his head in pain. She scrutinized him immediately. He had short black hair, an incredibly defined bone structure, and the most amazing bright blue eyes that Elena had ever seen. Eyes that were sending waves of anger and confusion to hers. Even in her anger she had to admit the man was a good looking one, a _very _good looking one.

"Who the hell are you?" blue eyes asked.

"I should be asking you that," Elena scoffed.

"This is my dorm, and -" he paused, staring at the woman in front of him. She had long, wavy brown hair that fell to just below her shoulders, and big doe like brown eyes. He also couldn't help but notice she was just wearing an oversized tee-shirt, exposing her long legs. The sight of them made the blood in his head rush down south and he turned his lips up into a sexy smirk.

"You know, there's a better way of seducing me than sneaking into my dorm and attacking me with a dictionary," he purred, stalking closer to Elena like a predator locked onto its prey.

"Seduce you? Aren't you a humble one, and for the love of God this is my dorm!" Elena scoffed, trying to keep her voice as stable as she could due to the stranger's proximity. He was so close; Elena could feel his breath on her cheek. His blue eyes bore into hers.

"You can drop the act now darling, you've got me," Damon tipped Elena's head up with his forefinger. He leaned in, and was just inches away from her lips when Elena shoved him away, making him fall back onto the bed.

"Like I said. I. Am. Not. Trying. To. Seduce. You." She sighed, exasperated. Elena took a deep breath, trying to conceal the effect the man had just by being so close to her.

"What other excuse as you suggesting then for showing up in my room wearing nothing but a bloody shirt?" Damon's voice turned from seductively to absolutely pissed instantly.

"Look," Elena bit her lips, "I think there might be some sort of a mix up here or something and they somehow arranged the same dorm room for the both of us. Since both of us are claiming rights to this room, why don't we just find the admin women and ask her to sort this out for us?"

Damon was stunned for a moment. He wasn't used to being ordered around or told what to do, and hasn't been told what to do for a long time from anyone, much less a women. But somehow this woman seemed to have an effect on him he couldn't identify. He didn't even know her name! Despite that, his head nodded involuntarily and he begrudgingly extended a hand for her to shake.

"Well then, I'm Damon Salvatore, but you should know that by now."

His arrogance was infuriating, Elena thought. Wanting to avoid confrontation however, she politely shook his hand and replied.

"I'm Elena Gilbert, nice to meet you."

MYU definitely had the worse administration staff in the whole of the United States, Elena thought as she looked at her watch again. She was going to be late for her first orientation program with Caroline if the damn woman didn't hurry up and help her and Damon.

The walk to the office was awkward, to say the very least. He was clearly very, _very _well known on campus, and they were literally stopped every five minutes for Damon to talk to someone passing him in the halls. She wasn't too fond of the men honestly, his arrogance disgusted her. But she had to admit he was very charming indeed, too bad most people can't see what's underneath.

"Damon Salvatore," the admin women squeaked. His name sounded acidic and poisonous on her lips, like it was an act of sin just to say his name.

"Ah, _Miss_ Peregrine," Damon returned with the same amount of respect one might give whilst talking to a small child.

She rolled her eyes. "So what is it Salvatore? Got into more trouble again?"

"Not me this time, its you guys that are in trouble." Damon smirked arrogantly and Elena had a brief fleeting thought of how Miss Peregrine was able to even remotely resist that look.

"There seems to be some kind of mix up, and both Damon and I have the keys to the same room." Elena explained, passing both keys to the older women.

Her lips puckered as she trotted back spun around on her chair to face the computer. After a while of searching, she got up and locked the doors to the office before sitting down again.

"Now listen up you two, there seems to be some kind of …mistake with the intake of dormitory students this year. We don't seem to have any other dorm rooms left that are available. What I'm asking now, is for the both of you to share a dorm, until we are able to find one to place one of you in. As you know, co-ed dorms are _strictly_ not allowed, but this is special circumstances and I want the both of you to keep mum about this okay? No one is to know the two of you are sharing a dorm. I'm sure both of you understand the implications if someone were to find out." Miss Peregrine shot a pointed look at Damon. "And I would expect no monkey business from both you, is that understood? Especially you, Mr. Salvatore."

Sharing a dorm? Elena swallowed uncomfortably as she walked with Damon to the cafeteria. He had insisted to walk her there, but hasn't spoken since. She didn't want to share a dorm with him, not just because he was an egoistic prick, but also due to the overwhelming physical attraction between them, an attraction she didn't trust him not to act upon.

"Well, Caroline's gonna come any second now. Thanks for the walk here though, I'll see you tonight?" she asked, attempting to keep the remark as casual as possible.

Her comment was meant to be an innocent one, but on her lips, Damon had _very_ different thoughts of what they would be doing tonight and none of them involved either parties actually getting any sleep. He didn't know how he could feel so physically attracted to a women he had just met, a women who on their first meeting hit him on the head with a book. He didn't make sense around her, and he most definitely didn't trust himself around her. Elena Gilbert seemed like a good girl. The kind of girl that crossed her t's and dotted her i's and parents would like their son to bring home. And that meant that she was everything he desperately needed to avoid.

"Right, see you tonight." He quickly walked away before he allowed himself to indulge in a fantasy.

"Was that Damon Salvatore I see walking away from you?" Caroline's chirpy voice piped from behind Elena.

"Yeah, he was… walking the same way here," Elena stuttered awkwardly. She was still confused over Damon's brief look of heat in his eyes before he left. Since they met he hadn't been anything but rude and disrespectful towards her and clearly didn't show much respect for woman in general even. He was a living warning sign telling Elena to stay away, a walking spiraling black hole that she couldn't allow herself to fall into.

"Then what's he doing walking back there?" Caroline turned her head towards where Damon was walking off. Elena fought off the urge to turn around and look at him.

"Um… he was taking something?" Elena bit her lip, silently cursing herself for being such a bad liar.

"Is there something going on between you two?" Caroline's lips perked up into a wide, cheeky grin. "You seen awfully tense when I mention him,"

"No!" Elena said, a little too loudly for her comfort. "We just… had a bad first meeting experience. He's not the easiest guy to make friends with."

Caroline laughed. "Well, he is _the_ Damon Salvatore."

"What's so good about him?" Elena faked nonchalance, wanting Caroline to tell her more about him.

"He moved here from Wisconsin two years ago, after his mother died, to stay with his dad here in Mystic Falls. Some kind of freak accident or something I heard. But his relationship with his dad isn't the best, to say the least, which is probably why he stays in the dorms." Caroline rushed out in one breathe. "He's a reputed heart-breaker Elena, trust me, you don't want to have something going on with him. The man has screwed over more girls than humanly possible."

"Hm. I don't have anything going on with him anyways Caroline, trust me, I'm not interested."

Caroline raised a disbelieving eyebrow but simply dropped the subject and linked her arm with Elena. "Well let's go to orientation, we're already late."

By the third tour, Elena was mentally cursing Caroline for actually dragging her there and arriving on time. They were on their second walk around the campus, and listening to one of the overly excited guides talk about the school's history for the tenth time was not what Elena wanted to be doing right now.

"Pretty boring tour huh?" A voice spoke from behind her. Elena turned around.

"Subjective," Elena smiled, "I mean this could be interesting if you liked history and all that."

"I'm Stefan," he stuck out his hand for Elena to shake. He was an attractive man, with bronze tousled hair and deep forest green eyes. Nowhere near Damon though, Elena mused silently for a moment. She wasn't sure if any guy could actually come close to Damon actually. Wanting to put the blue-eyed man out of her mind, she smiled and shook Stefan's hand politely.

"I'm Elena Gilbert and this is—" Elena was about to introduce Caroline when she realised she had gone off and was nowhere to be seen. "Never mind, it's just you and me I guess."

"I hope you don't mind if I join you for the rest of the tour? Since we'll both alone I mean." Stefan eyes lit up with anticipation.

"I would love that," Elena smiled back in return, not wanting to disappoint Stefan. He was showing interest in her, and it had been so long since anyone had shown interest in her in _that_ way that it made her feel somewhat more confident again.

The rest of the tour passed rather uneventfully. Stefan attempted to make small talk with Elena and she gracefully replied and kept the conversation going, avoiding the bits about her childhood and where she came from. She focused the conversation on him instead, so when Caroline finally rejoined them and happily announced that Damon and Stefan were brothers, the shock on Elena's face was hardly concealed.

"You guys are brothers?" Elena asked, unable to keep the curiosity and amazement out of her voice,

Stefan looked puzzled. "Is that a problem?" He laughed awkwardly. "I know we don't really look alike and all, or are similar in any way actually, but yes Damon is my older brother. A rather unfortunately thing to say the least." Stefan's voice took on a bitter tone as he continued, not even bothering to mask the disgust and discontempt he had for his brother.

"I'm guessing sibling rivalry?" Elena tried to lighten the tense atmosphere. "I have a younger brother, so trust me I know what it's like for siblings to get on your nerves."

"It's more than that," Stefan's voice grew quiet and cold. His face was impassive. It scared Elena to know the severity of how bad their relationship was, but she wanted to know more. However, Stefan's facial expression clearly told her he was uncomfortable and didn't want to talk about Damon with her. Wanting a quick change of subject, she asked him the first thing that popped into her mind.

"How about we grab coffee tomorrow morning before orientation starts? I heard we're having the seniors talk to us tomorrow." Stefan's face brighten, clearly relieved by both the change of topic and Elena's enthusiasm in him.

"That would be great. 8 tomorrow in front of the lounge?"

"It's a date." Elena bid her goodbyes to Stefan and quickly walked away before she could regret what she had just done. Stefan was a nice guy, and he seemed to really like her quite a bit. But Elena wasn't sure if she felt the same way about him after knowing the man for a day. Then again, the physical attraction she felt with Damon was just hours ago and she was still not over him. She didn't want to lead Stefan on then hurt him when he realised she wasn't interested. Sighing, Elena decided she will go on the coffee date with him and decide then.

"So which one do you like better?" Caroline quipped as they walked back to their dorm building.

"What?" Elena asked, tactfully faking her ignorance.

"You know what I mean, which Salvatore do you like better? My vote's out on Stefan for the record."

"I… I don't really know. I hardly know any of them, isn't it a bit quick to jump to conclusion on someone like that?"

"Seriously girl, Stefan is the catch of the century. I would go for him myself if I didn't have my eye on someone else." Caroline's eyes turned dreamy as she wandered off into a daze.

"Who's the unfortunate victim?" Elena asked, wishing the change of subject would take the heat off her. She didn't want to think about either Salvatore brother at all, not when she was about to be in _very_ close proximity with one for the better half of the night.

"It's the orientation leader," Caroline voice was almost schoolgirl like.

"Klaus?" Elena couldn't hold a small laugh in. "Isn't he a bit too old for you?"

"His 24, for your information and what happened to love knows no boundaries with age?" Caroline faked offense before relenting and laughing along with Elena. "So Stefan huh? I heard you asking him out."

"I don't really know," Elena sighed, "I'll see how it works out alright. See you tomorrow Care!" Elena quickly walked to her dorm before Caroline could ask any more questions. She had enough talk of the Salvatore's for a day, and the thought of having to deal with one at night was almost unbearable. Almost. She wanted to catch up on some relaxing time before Damon came back to the dorm.

Unlocking the room doors quickly, Elena stripped and ran a warm bath for herself. Soaking in the warm waters, she closed her eyes and rested, enjoying the moment of peace and serenity that overcame her. A peace that no doubt would end when Damon returns to _their_ dorm later in the night.

"You're kidding," Tyler Lockwood proclaimed after Damon told his best friend of his sleeping arrangements.

"Is this something you really think I will joke about? I'm not shitting you Tyler; I'm sharing a dorm with her. And I need you to shut up about it alright?" Damon said, exasperated. They were in Tyler's dorm and Damon was deliberately dragging time on.

Tyler laughed even harder. "You're in for it man, good luck controlling yourself. You know how much Miss P is on your case about _misconduct and misbehavior_." Tyler said, mocking Miss Peregrine's voice at the end. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Damon said, irritated at the lack of compassion his friend was showing. He told Tyler about the arrangement thinking that he would sympathize with Damon, but all he got so far is sarcastic comments and uncomforting smirks that Damon was never on the receiving end of.

"Seduce her."

"What? Which part of 'Do not mess around' does your ape brain not understand? I'm not getting expelled when I'm this close to getting out of this hell hole." Damon made a small motion with his hands.

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Forbidden fruit is the tastiest. Seduce her and not get caught. You know what; I'll make this even better for you. Win this bet and I'll let you take Katherine to the Founding Families Ball."

Despite being best friends, the two of them had been constantly fighting for Katherine Pierce's attention since Year 1. She's had them wrapped around the tip of her fingers and truth be told, Damon hated that bitch. She was the most manipulative, destructive woman he knew in his life. And that coming from Damon Salvatore, was a lot. But taking her to the Ball and dumping her there would be double the humiliation for Queen Bee herself. He couldn't resist.

"How would you know if I succeeded? It's not like she'll tell everyone she slept with me."

"Oh, I'll know alright." Tyler smirked; being a psych major student has taught him how to effectively read body language. He knows when a person has had intimate contact with another just by how they behaved around one another.

"What's in it for me if I lose?"

"I'll give you two weeks. If you win, you get to take Katherine to the Ball. But if you lose…" Tyler paused for effect. "I'll take Katherine to the Ball and Elena out on a date."

"Elena? Why? You never had shown interest in her." Damon was acutely aware of how overly protective her was of her.

"She sounds… interesting. Not to mention she's pretty damn hot too, I've seen her around earlier today with Caroline Forbes. Man, what I would give for the two of them."

Damon hesitated. He and Tyler had bets before, and it wasn't like he was a saint. Damon's had his fair share of pranks and screwed over more people than he could count. But Elena was different. He didn't want to hurt her for some reason. But on the other hand, even if he didn't agree to the bet, Tyler was clearly interested in her and _nothing _would stop Tyler from getting what he wanted. Tyler sensed his reluctance and pushed on.

"Too scared Salvatore? Maybe you're losing your touch." Tyler taunted.

Damon considered his options. It was better having him sleep with Elena and breaking it off gently then for Tyler to completely screw her over. The thought of them in a bed together made the blood in his head rush down south. Besides, he would also get the chance to break Katherine and that was something he would pay millions to see. He wasn't sure how everything would play out, or if he would be able to control the attraction between them afterwards, all he knew was that the wanted to protect her. If they could potentially have mind-blowing sex along the way, that was an added bonus.

"I'll take you on. But if I win, I want something else from you."

"Fine. Open bet?"

Damon nodded. "Whatever I ask for, no chickening out."

"You know I won't Salvatore."

"Oh, it's so on Lockwood."

Despite the anticipation, Damon couldn't help but feel an underlying feeling of dread as well. He didn't want to fuck Elena over; she was different from all the other girls that practically threw themselves at him. They were asking for it, she had shown no interest in him whatsoever since this morning. The only thing she had shown was disgust and contempt for him. Maybe seducing her would be harder than he thought. Well I like a good challenge, Damon thought, and if it was the only way he could protect this girl, he would do it. Even if the solution might mean hurting both of them in the process.

And with that Damon returned to the dorm, prepared to show Elena how much of a bad boy he truly could be.

**A/N: That's all for this chapter! Kinda a longer one for me but I hoped you guys liked it! As always, review and rate if you guys liked this chapter, they really brighten my day **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Can You Resist Me?**

Damon was not expecting what he saw when he returned to his dorm. Elena was wrapped in a plush white towel, held tightly at one end with her arm while the other searched through her closet furiously.

It would be a lie if he said he didn't enjoy the view. He did. Very, _very_ much actually. The sight of Elena's long, tan legs still glistening slightly from her shower made Damon swallow uncomfortably. He groaned inwardly, goddamn MYU and their shitty systems for placing them together. It wasn't even a matter of if he could seduce her; it was of more importance if he could even keep his hands –or eyes for that matter– off her. His creeper moment came to a quick, unpleasant halt though as Elena turned around, her hand slipping from the towel.

Shock caressed her beautiful features as she immediately dropped down to the ground and picked up the towel to cover herself. Damon could not stop looking away. He has never felt so intrusive of someone in his entire life, not that he was a saint, but Elena's innocent expression when she saw him clearly stated she was not expecting any company whatsoever. And _god _was that brief, fleeting moment of her naked torso absolutely intoxicating. He could feel the bulge in his jeans straining against the offensive material.

"So... um you took a shower?" Damon tried to be casual, well as casual as a man who had just seen his roommate naked can be. And what's with the stuttering, Damon thought. Damon goddamn Salvatore never, ever stuttered. Under any kind of circumstances, but right now it seems all comprehension of the English language seemed to have left him and he was a rambling, stuttering mess. "I mean, it's obvious since you're in a towel and you're…"

Damon paused when he saw the look on Elena's face mirroring the one she gave him just this morning. Way to go Salvatore, 101 on how _not _to get into a girl's panties. Anger seeped from her warm brown eyes, boring holes into his own blue ones. Elena picked up a pillow and threw it right onto Damon's face.

He deftly dodged it with the gracefulness and agility of an athlete. "For Christ sake women this is the second time you're hitting me with something today!" Damon hollered.

"I don't mind going for thirds Salvatore, don't tempt me." Elena spat back, bitterness rippling in her words.

"And she says that while still wearing a towel," Damon taunted, his voice playful and light. His eyes couldn't help but gravitate to her legs as he said that, making them turn a dark blue from arousal. Damon swallowed uncomfortably.

Elena scoffed and quickly turned on her heels, walking back to the bathroom. Once she was in the safe sanctuary of the bathroom, Elena let out a long breathe she didn't even realize she was holding in. _What the hell had just happened?_ She most definitely didn't appreciate Damon intruding on her private moment again, this time under even more pervasive circumstances. The man definitely has a knack for catching her off guard. She sighed, how on earth was she going to survive with him as a roommate for god-knows-how long? Just the look Damon gave her when her towel dropped, one of pure lust and hunger, had her feel wetness pool between her legs immediately. Their physical attraction was undeniable strong, stronger than anything she had really felt with anyone else before. It had been so long since she… and Damon wasn't exactly the worse option either. Elena shook her head and quickly dismissed the offensive thought. He was already creeping under her skin and that was the last thing she needed at this point of her life.

She quickly dressed in a comfortable old tee shirt and some loose boy shorts. Checking herself in the mirror, Elena tugged down on her shorts slightly. She really didn't want to give Damon any ideas or opportunities for his snarky comments. Taking a deep breathe, she stepped back into the room. Having a roommate really shouldn't be so hard, Elena thought.

And it would be a lot easier if she didn't share a room with a man who was currently spread-eagle on _her _bed, reading _her_ itinerary and looking like a complete diabolical sex god. Elena cleared her throat. She stood uncomfortably over her bed, unsure of whether she should get on and uncomfortable with the proximity of Damon to her. Didn't seem to bother him much though as he browsed leisurely through her papers, his long elegant fingers tracing the print. Elena snagged her itinerary out of his grasp and stuffs them in her book bag on the floor.

"Didn't your parents teach you to not snoop around on other people's stuff when you were younger?" Elena gingerly sat on the edge of the bed, trying to keep as much distance between Damon and her as possible. "You really seem to have some privacy –"

"Have breakfast with me tomorrow." Damon cut her off. The invitation had came out more commanding than he intended it to, but Damon really didn't know how else to put it. He certainly hadn't made a very good impression on her so far, and he needed more than their intense physical connection to help him win the bet.

He needed Elena to genuinely like him. A double edged sword at that, since he didn't know where he planned to go with this silly little bet. Was he actually trying to get her to _like_ him? He didn't want to hurt her at the end of all this, but wasn't that where he was leading her? Shaking his head, Damon cleared himself of all his self-doubt. He couldn't afford to over think this whole madness right now; he needed to focus on doing what Damon Salvatore does best.

"What?" Elena sounded completely flustered and overwhelmed, like a schoolgirl being asked out by her yearlong crush. She almost laughed at the mental image of Damon in a schoolboy's uniform before realising how inappropriate that would be. It hadn't even been a full day with him and she was already having fantasies, god help her.

"You heard me Gilbert," Damon shrugged, "Breakfast, you know, we should get to know each other since we are sharing a room for god knows how long. Maybe we'll even like each other."

"Tempting offer but I'll have to turn it down," Elena said, praying hard that Damon wouldn't push her and ask why. She would like to avoid being embroiled in sibling rivalry as much as she can.

He pushed it.

"Why not?" Damon asked with his head cocked to a side. "It's been one day here, don't tell me you have plans a –"

"I do, I have plans. Just leave it at that, okay?"

"With?" Damon raised an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving of her.

Elena sighed inwardly. She physically dreaded what she was about to say next.

"Stefan. Stefan Salvatore."

Damon's look turned from casual flirting to cold and impassive in an instance. When his blue eyes met hers, she could see no warmth or light in them, just pure disgust and revolt.

"So you must have known of our relationship then." Damon spat out venomously.

"It's just breakfast Damon, he asked me this morning and I said yes because he seems like a nice guy. I really don't care about your petty little sibling rivalry with him, it's really late and I have to sleep so just get off my bed alright?" Elena snapped, tired from Damon's mood swings.

"It's much more than that," Damon said, mirroring Stefan's own words from earlier the day. He promptly got up and walked over to his own bed, separated only by an arm's length away.

Elena instantly felt horrible for snapping at Damon. Whatever conflict the Salvatore brothers have, it seemed to be much bigger than the petty 'sibling rivalry' as she had simply put it.

"Damon I—" Elena began, trying to apologize to him. Damon cut her off with a simple wave of his hand.

"It's late. We should sleep; it's been a long day." As soon as he said that Damon couldn't help but picture the two of them coiled around each other, arms and limbs tangled amidst sheets in a bed together. He mentally cursed himself for his overly descriptive imagination and settled down in his bed, turning his body away from Elena.

Elena sighed and laid down. The elephant in the room has yet again been avoided and pushed away. Was it always going to be this exhausting and consuming with Damon? She didn't know how much more of this arrangement she could take, and it hadn't even been a full day yet! She tilted her body away from his bed, staring straight into the black void of the room and listening to their even breathing in the darkness. The silence was almost unbearable and Elena was acutely aware of Damon laying a mere few feets away from her. She briefly wondered if she was having the same effect on him as well. She hates to admit it, but Damon seems to draw her to him, it was as if he had some kind of magnetic field around him luring her closer and she was unable to pull herself away. Elena closed her eyes and willed herself to not dream of the raven hair, blue eye boy sleeping next to her as she allowed herself to drift off into sleep.

Despite all the events of the previous day, Elena had a good night sleep. She was so worn out by everything that she had slept peacefully throughout the night without any interruptions at all and now was ready to start off a new day with a clean slate. She got out of bed quietly, careful not to disturb Damon and tiptoed to her closet for some clothes. She sneaked a glance at him as she past his bed and instantly regretted it. It should be illegal how effortlessly good-looking he is, even when he's not trying to be! His dark hair was tousled and covered half of his face, perching on his perfectly long eyelashes. The half moons of his eyelids were translucent and the arch of his lips a perfect little pucker. She looked away quickly before she allowed herself to get any ideas. She needed to get away from him fast before she did something ridiculous.

Elena quickly showered and got dressed in a simple ensemble of a blouse and jeans with a pale blue cardigan and grabbed her bag before rushing out the door. She breathed a sigh of relief once she made it out, thankful that Damon being the deep sleeper he is didn't wake up to see her. Elena checked her watch; she was just on time to meet Stefan at the cafeteria and began to walk there.

The MYU campus covered over 6000 acres of land, half of which is devoted to the rich and vast architectural marvel of the school buildings itself. Elena loved that about Mystic Falls, she loved the Victorian vibe the old town seemed to emit, a vast contrast from the metropolis of the rest of the world. She hadn't realised how much she missed the town until she moved back and now it took every ounce of strength she had to not allow the memories to overcome her and break her down. She took a deep breathe and calmed herself down. The campus was still relatively quiet, with most of the students either having early lessons or sleeping and the silence helped Elena to compose herself and regain her thoughts. She made her way quickly to the cafeteria and found Stefan already waiting for her there, sitting by the glass windows overlooking the garden. He spotted her and waved happily at her, gesturing for her to go in.

"You made it," Stefan said, pulling out a chair for Elena across him.

"Well, we do have a date don't we," Elena smiled and sat across from him. It was almost unbelievable how Damon and Stefan could be related even; they were so different both in appearance and their mannerisms.

"Are you guys ready to order?" a cheery waitress sauntered towards their table. The cafeteria was mostly empty except for a few customers and the very bored wait staff. Elena and Stefan quickly made their orders and watched as the waitress headed eagerly to the kitchen, glad that she finally had something to do.

"They have wait staff at a cafeteria?" Elena asked, "I was envisioning more of your typical high school cafeteria slum instead."

"The 'staff' are students too, students who can't afford tuition mostly, who work to pay off their bills and books. The school offers them various different jobs around campus instead." Stefan replied, toying with his plate of food that had just arrived.

Elena smiled politely and nodded. The rest of the meal went rather uneventfully and conversation was relaxed, albeit rather dull at times, but there weren't many awkward silences and pauses which Elena was very grateful for. After the meal which Stefan had insisted on paying for, he offered to walk Elena back to her dorm to retrieve some paperwork for the orientation program,

"You really don't have to Stefan," Elena said.

"I want to," Stefan smiled, revealing his rows of perfect white teeth, "Plus it's just a few steps away from my dorm anyways,"

Elena relented, and they began towards the girls dorms. The way there, Stefan kept her entertained with anecdotes of his childhood growing up in a Virginia farm but Elena couldn't help but notice how none of them had included Damon at all. She decided to leave it and not push the subject; it clearly was a sensitive one and thought wise to leave it alone.

"We should do this again sometime," He smiled, glancing down at her as they stood outside her room.

"You know where I live," Elena chuckled, avoiding his piercing glance and looking at her shoes instead.

And then he was leaning forward, and for a moment Elena thought he was going to kiss her, but the moment was broken when Damon emerged out of their dorm and knocked straight into Elena.

"Shit. Sorry." He murmured almost shyly before looking up and coming face to face with Stefan. His shy glance shifted instantly and his jaw line hardened as he stared at Stefan. "Brother, I would say I'm glad to see you but it's too early for pleasantries."

Stefan looked even more uncomfortable than Damon did, shifting his feet about awkwardly. "What…what were you doing in Elena's dorm room?"

Damon smirked. "That's for me to know, and for you," he walked past Elena and gently stroked her back. "To not know."

Stefan grabbed Damon by the arm as he was walking away and pulled him back roughly. Damon jerked away, fixating his cold stare straight on Elena.

"Why don't you ask her then, since it is _her _room," he turned to look at Stefan, "and you, don't ever touch me again or I swear to god I will break your arm." Damon's blue eyes flitted over Elena briefly, teasing her before he turned around and walked away.

"Stefan, it's really not what it looks like I can explain," Elena was absolutely furious at Damon. It was one thing for him to fight and bicker with Stefan, but another completely when he brought their non-existent relationship into the mix. She took a deep breath.

"We're roommates." Second day at MYU and she already broke the rules. Good going for you, Elena Gilbert, she thought.

"Aren't co-ed dorms strictly not allowed?" Stefan cocked his head to a side, seemingly bemused by the situation.

Elena sighed and began to explain to him her predicament, lowering her voice so that only he could hear her. She hadn't planned on telling anyone, for obvious reasons. But she trusted that however bad the Salvatore brothers' relationship was, Stefan wouldn't stoop to tell on Damon, right? She had expected him to be worried, or furious, or jealous even, but instead he did the most unexpected thing Elena thought he wouldn't do.

Stefan laughed. A deep, throaty, genuine laugh. "My brother is going to have such a hard time keeping his hands off you, if he does it even at all," he shook his head, seemingly talking to himself more than her.

His comment, as innocent as it was, worried Elena. Damon Salvatore had been one big innuendo after the other ever since they met, but the worrying thing was, she was actually starting to like it. At this point, she wasn't even sure if her body was prepared to spend the next year in close proximity with Damon without spontaneously combusting.

Stefan stepped closer to her, pushing Elena's back to the door. He leaned down and stared at her, his cat-like emerald eyes warm and gentle. "As much as I do enjoy watching my brother get tormented I'm worried for you too. He can be rather…persuasive around women when he wants to be." They were so close Elena could feel his breathe warm on her cheek.

Her heart was racing as she stared at him, uncomfortable with their proximity. "I'm not one of his little groupies, I think I can handle him," Elena laughed nervously, turning around to unlock the door.

Behind her Stefan shifted back, stuffing his hands into his pocket. "If he does anything, or tries even anything that you find remotely uncomfortable with, you tell me and I'll…fix it for you,"

Elena stepped into her dorm, turning around to look at Stefan. "Aren't you supposed to be the younger one? Taking on the big brother huh," Elena joked.

Stefan laughed. "Oh trust me, I pack a punch." He closed up the gap between them and took her hand, raising it to his lips. "I'll see you around, Elena."

Elena turned and closed the dorm doors behind her. Did that really just happen? Had she just unwittedly embroiled herself in some feud between the brothers? And what did she even feel about Stefan anyways? Sure, he is sweet and caring and a real gentlemen, but she of all people would know that vanilla isn't always vanilla through and through. Not after _**him**_ anyways. Elena shook her head to stop the memories from flooding back to her. Thankfully, her phone screamed to life right in that instant, breaking her train of thoughts.

"Elena Gilbert, where the hell are you?" A shrill female voice one could only assume came from years of practice on her poor family screamed into her ears. "The seniors talk is starting in like, oh wait, now! Get your toned ass here!"

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Caroline, it completely slipped my mind. I'll be there, save a seat for me!" Elena hung up, grabbed her stuff and quickly ran out the door.

* * *

Seniors talk was not what she had expected it to be. Elena had thought it would be a time when the freshmen could pick up some tips about the school, or maybe useful information about the lecturers and classes. An hour in and Elena was very much regretting not skipping out on Caroline and trying to find ways to escape the auditorium. The school tour suddenly sounded much more interesting compared to this. Next to her Caroline shifted uncomfortable in her plastic foldable chair and stifled a yawn for the third time in a row.

"If I have to hear one more account of a ghost encounter or how their family was one of the founders of this town, I swear on all things Gucci that I will personally strangled all of them," Caroline muttered under her breath to Elena.

Elena smiled. Thank god for Caroline being able to see the funny in the mundane. "Remind me why we're here again?"

"Because of her," Caroline said, straightening her back and sitting up as her gaze shifted to the stage.

The women on stage was statuesque and slim, with long brown hair that fell right above her waist and eyes so dark they looked almost black hidden under thick, full lashes. She looked like a fashion model waiting to be discovered.

"Who is she?" Elena watched as the women paused to talk to several faculty members who all seemed very friendly with her before making her way up on stage.

"Katherine Pierce," Caroline began, as Katherine began to talk on stage. "If this was high school she'll be the girl who would win homecoming queen, prom queen, yet still be valedictorian all at the same time. Her dad's the new mayor so naturally she gets all the perks from the shitty suck up staff," Caroline paused to roll her eyes dramatically. "I just wanted to see for myself if she really lives up to what people rave about her."

On stage, Katherine is talking with the ease of someone who is clearly used to being the center of attention. "Being president of the student welfare committee, I would just like to welcome all the freshmen on behalf of my fellow members now to MYU. May you all have a fruitful year and MYU and enjoy the rest of your orientation program!" Thunderous applause and catcalls followed as she sauntered off stage, waving as she went.

"I don't know her and I already dislike her," Caroline said immediately, grabbing Elena and pulling her towards the exit. "I don't even know what Damon ever saw it her anyways,"

Caroline laughed. "Nah, Katherine would never let anyone go near her to ruin her perfect polished reputation, but that made her even more desirable to Damon. They have been flirting on and off for the past year ever since they met."

Flirting? Elena wondered what Katherine would think if she found out about Damon's current sleeping arrangements, she could safely bet the reaction would not be a good one.

"So, what's next on the agenda for us?"

"Ah, about that, Klaus offered me a private tour of the school so…"

"So I'm going to be the greatest friend ever and leave you to find somewhere else to wallow in loneliness myself," Elena finished for Caroline.

Caroline smiled and hugged Elena tightly, "Thank you so much,"

"You owe me one," Elena said, turning to smile at Caroline before walking off.

Thankfully the MYU campus was surrounded by trees and the air was clean and fresh. Walking aimlessly out of the campus, Elena stumbled upon a perfect little nook where she decided to rest for the day before heading back to the dorms. She sighed, the dorms. It was supposed to be a place where she could let down her guard and rest but now instead of being a sanctuary it had become a place she could barely sleep without feeling tensed up.

But now at least, she was away from everyone. Away from the buzz of the campus, away from Damon, from Stefan, from her own demons. Here, sitting tucked away into a large tree root Elena could at least relax and breathe. Elena took out her notepad and began to do what she has been doing ever since the accident when she was 8.

She began to write.

Writing has become something cathartic to her; it was her own personal release from the world and from herself even. When she wrote, it took her to another place and she was able to escape our reality for a brief moment. She had a dozens of tiny notebooks, filled page after page with her rambles, and it was the greatest outlet to her. So it was no surprise when she began to write about Damon Salvatore down as what she really thought about him as. An egoistic, arrogant, cocky, drop dead gorgeous asshole.

"You know in spite of the three negative adjectives positioned right after my name I am very flattered that you think I am 'drop dead gorgeous," Elena stood up and spun around immediately, coming face to face with said gorgeous man.

Her cheeks were flushed red. How long had he been reading? When did he come here? How did he know she was here? Was he stalking her or something? A flurry of questions shrouded her mind. "What the hell are you doing here? How long have you been reading? Are you stalking me?" Elena blurted out in one go.

Damon plopped himself comfortably opposite her and gestured for her to sit. Elena stood firmly glancing down at him. "Well hello to you too, princess." He began to toy with a fallen tree branch. "Well to answer your many questions, I'm here because I'm skipping class and I've been reading long enough to see your very nice description of me in your little diary. As for the last question, no I am not stalking you I found this place a year before you even got here so its you that's invading on my private space now." Damon flashed Elena a winning smirk that threatened to break down her tough façade and made her just want to push him against the tree and kiss him hard.

"I used to come here after I moved to this shit hole, to get away from my old man and all," Damon's voice grew quiet and soft. This was a side of him Elena had never seen before. A vulnerable one, the only telltale sign that he was indeed human and not some man made sex machine. Elena sat down across him, staring right at his face.

Damon didn't even know why he was telling her so much, he just wanted to. He had traveled out of the campus to relax and get away from the buzz, and mostly to avoid Tyler who would not stop reminding him of their stupid little bet. So he came to his sanctuary instead, the all encasing forest and instead stumble upon Elena. He hadn't wanted to talk, not after the events of the morning but she had looked so intense, so focused, so enthralled that he could not help but be curious what had caught her attention so completely. And when he saw she was writing he snooped around and read, not expecting much but instead seeing his own name pop up a few times instead. There was something about her that just made his want to let down his guard and trust recklessly for once like he used to. He wanted to believe in the goodness of people again, like he used to do.

"Your mother…you miss her a lot don't you?" Elena pried gently.

Damon smiled sadly. "You wouldn't understand,"

"I do actually." Elena bit her lip, was she really going to share that bit of herself? Ah hell, she thought, why not. He was opening up to her anyways, what did she have to lose? "My parents died when I was 8."

He didn't ask why, and she was grateful for that. He didn't say stupid things like "I'm sorry" or "I shouldn't have asked" because really, how did apologizing make the situation any better?

"After she died, I closed myself up. It…it was really hard to accept that she had left the way she did when I could have—" he broke off abruptly and smiled sadly. "I'm not going to bore with you my sob story I'd better leave,"

"No Damon wait," Elena stood up and pulled him back.

That was all the motivation he needed to press his lips against hers and pull their bodies together. The kiss had came as a surprise but Elena's body reacted to it almost instantly and her body molded around his. His lips were soft and wielding on hers, and she nibbed lightly on his lower lip, causing him to moan deeply. The sound seemed to have startled Elena and she broke away suddenly and stumbled back.

"I…I have to go," Elena stumbled back and ran, leaving Damon alone in the forest, staring at her as she went.

**A/N: How long has it been since my last update? I'm so so so sorry it took so long for me to come up with a new chapter there's just been so much going on in my life with finals and competitions. But now I'm on break so updates will be more regular and faster I promise! Keep the reviews coming and I'll be much more inclined to update faster, thank you guys! **


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